First Days in the Kitchen

"You smell like bacon."






That was the first thing M told me Monday morning. After my first weekend working in a kitchen, I am not surprised. M will have to get used to it, as this will be a common occurrence.






So, to recap: I applied, interviewed, was offered and accepted a position as a prep cook in a local restaurant. I am not naming names, but it's local. You'll probably be able to figure it out, and if you do... please stop on in! Have a drink, have a bite to eat. I may have helped make some of it.






And just like my culinary classes, I was excited to start. More excited/nervous, but hey... have to make a good impression. Arrived early to make sure I beat the farmers market crowd for a decent parking spot. It was probably a good thing I got there early because I was thrown right into the mix - they got slammed the night before, and a lot of prep to get through.




My duties were a mish mash of things - portioned and formed scones, baked eggplant slices, prepared the house salad mix, sliced/portioned/stored meats for sandwiches, and made crepe batter. Not only did I make that batter, I was expected to make them as well. Most of my crepes were not pretty, but I think I've got the hang of it. Maybe. Cleaned by area, helped when I could. Most of the time I kept my head down and did what I had to do. By the end of the day I was sweaty, sore, and exhausted. I had enough energy to scarf down a slice or two of pizza before I called it a night.


The next morning I was there even earlier, but it was nice to walk around downtown before it got busy. Day two started off slowly, but picked up quickly after opening. I helped (mostly watched) how they make their quiches, before I started on three different fruit fillings for the crepes - apple, peach, and mixed berry. Made some more crepes (really need to work on my technique at home) and prepped more vegetables for the line. Cooked up ratatouille right before my break, and whipped up a batch of Devonshire cream before I left. Lots of portioning, labeling, and rotating stock.


Instead of heading straight home after work, I ended up meeting M and a friend for drinks to celebrate my new job. Not a bad start.

An Interesting Development

I keep meaning to start this blog up again, but I don't know what direction to take it. It started just as a means to write down the food related things I was doing. But then came the boom of food blogs/food lifestyle things and it seems like niches are covered. So now what?



Just write when I'm in the mood, I guess. Did I write about this before? I wouldn't be surprised, I am known to get stuck in loops.



Moving on.



A couple of weeks ago it was Julia Child's birthday. Exactly two weeks ago. She would be 105 if she was still kicking. Being the notable food person she was, people posted on social media Julia Child things. Pictures, videos, and quotes. Lots of quotes. And there was one in particular that rang true:

Passion. Interest. Food.

I feel like I've been in limbo for a while. What am I supposed to be when I grow up? Where is my life going? What am I making for dinner tonight?

The upside of my field of work is that I will always have work and will always be able to find work if I need it. I am at a state when I'm comfortable enough to be able to do the things I've wanted to do. Like taking culinary classes. Buying residences. Adult things.

But even though I have this ability to do what I want (and generally when I want it), I feel stagnant. Running around but still in the same place. I need a shake up.

I applied for a kitchen job at a restaurant.

Every now and then I would look at the help wanted section and read the descriptions thinking "this would be cool." Usually I think that and then close the window and get back to work. But a couple of weeks ago, I clicked on the link and filled out an application.

To be honest, I didn't think much of it. At least I applied. But the strangest thing... I heard back and scheduled an interview. I scheduled an interview after an impromptu trip out to Connecticut and back, with no sleep and running on coffee fumes. And from what I remember it wasn't bad... some talk about the job, but a whole lot of me rambling on about food things. I walked out of there thinking, that was a decent interview... but I'm not holding my breath.

A week went by, and nothing. I sent off an email because I was asked to do that if I heard nothing. The response back was a job offer.

Holy moly... I got it!

Immediately, I sent a text off to M and he was just as excited as I was. I think this will be a good thing.

I'll write again about my first two days as a prep cook. This post must be pretty long at this point.